Community Engagement

 

We partner with our parents and community to help kids grow. Our staff, teachers, families, and students all work collaboratively, respecting each other and ensuring every child learns and grows. These values drive us as we create connections and empower everyone to fulfill their potential.

 

It’s the people who make this district special. As a small, community-based district, we’re “small enough to care enough.” Our dedicated staff and teachers get to know each student and their families, parents are actively involved, and students love their schools so much they are disappointed on the last day of school. Our superintendent and school leaders have an open-door policy, welcoming feedback and respecting every opinion as we work together to eliminate barriers and instill in our students the joy and love of learning.

 

 

This is only possible because of the fiscal responsibility of our board and staff. We use zero- based budgeting, evaluating our spending every year to ensure we are being as efficient as possible, reducing costs, and focusing our funding into classrooms. As a result, our tax rates are the 5th lowest in the county.

Our staff does a fantastic job making the most of what we have. They never complain that they have access to fewer resources and our students learn in older facilities than most other districts.

 

 

We will struggle to maintain competitive salaries with area districts, hurting our ability to hire and retain excellent teachers and staff during a nationwide staffing shortage. The state has mandated we provide full day kindergarten, yet we don’t currently have the space or staff to be able to offer it. Our middle school classrooms are too small, the building’s layout antiquated, and the facilities aging, with a gym that is slowly sinking into the ground. Our infrastructure is aging, with mechanicals so old we struggle to get parts for them, cabling that is four generations old, and bathrooms original to the buildings. Our community wants a more robust educational experience for their children, which we’d like to provide, but we don’t have the space or resources to do so. Our facilities don’t allow for a 21st century education for our students, limiting STEM, collaborative, and foreign language learning.

 

 

 

We have managed our funds conservatively and stretched every dollar. But if we are going to fix our aging infrastructure, comply with the state’s mandate for full day kindergarten, and give our students the 21st century learning environments they deserve, we will need additional funding.

 

 

Investing in our schools would give our students and staff safer, more secure, and sustainable learning environments. Our kids and teachers would be able to thrive, with high level learning opportunities and students encouraged to create and collaborate. And we’d be able to provide more meaningful and positive community service projects to connect our students to our community.